If You Want To Save The Earth, You Need To Reconsider Meat
I stopped eating meat 14 years ago when I was 7 years old. My parents had sent me to a Montessori school where we raised alpacas, farmed vegetables and called our teachers by their first name. The school cultivated a strong connection to animals, the earth and the environment.
By the time I could fully grasp that the meat I ate was made of beautiful cows, squirmy pigs and plucky chickens, I was mortified. Unfortunately for my parents, who’d never thought that they’d have to help me figure out a vegetarian’s diet, I was strong-willed and emotionally determined never to eat an animal again.
Now the driving force of my vegetarianism has shifted from my fondness for and the value of animal life to an even larger picture: the planet as a whole. A vegetarian diet is the easiest and healthiest way to save the planet, and I argue that If you aren’t willing to explore the delicious and diverse world of vegetarianism, veganism or flexitarianism, then you are not doing your part in protecting the earth for future generations.
it’s important to understand the differences in these diets. People with vegan diets don’t eat from any animal products; some even include honey in this category. People who adhere to a vegetarian diet don’t eat fish or meat, but still eat dairy products like milk and eggs. People who want to eat less meat or dairy products (or both) can be called flexitarians, as they are flexing between meat and meatless meals. Vegetarianism and veganism aren’t for everyone, but even if you can’t fully remove meat or dairy from your diet it is impactful to eat less.
“Animal agriculture is one of the greatest contributors to environmental degradation, deforestations, desertification of the American West, and pollution of land, water and air,” says Evelyn Kimber, activist and president of the Boston Vegetarian Society, who gave up meat nearly 40 years ago. Her organization has been educating and helping present and future vegetarians since 1987.
The greenhouse gas footprint of animal agriculture is more than that of every car, truck, bus, ship, airplane and rocket ship combined, said the United Nations in 2018. There is no way to achieve the Paris climate objectives without cutting down on the amount of meat produced. The United Nations recommends we do this by shifting the protein at the center of our meals to plant-based proteins.
There are a few nutritional concerns to take notice of before making any dietary changes. Nicola McKeown, a Ph.D.-educated scientist at Tufts University focusing on nutritional epidemiology, notes that vegans should be aware of the risk for deficiency of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and protein in their diets.
“Vitamin B12 is derived solely from animal products. [Vegans] are at risk of B12 deficiency, which can lead to pernicious anemia,” she said. Pernicious anemia results when the body cannot produce enough red blood cells due to the lack of B12 and can result in fatigue and lightheadedness.
But these vitamins can be sourced from eggs, milk, and fortified plant-based milks, and therefore aren’t a concern for vegetarians who maintain a balanced diet. She added that vegetarian diets have the highest levels of dietary fibers, which have been shown to reduce the risk of metabolic diseases like heart problems and diabetes. And when eating a variety of vegetables and taking the right supplements, veganism and vegetarianism are quite healthy.
And there is plenty of other evidence that a plant-based diet is a healthy one. The American Dietetic Association’s official position on a vegetarian diet is that it is nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in preventing certain diseases, McKeown said. This diet is beneficial to both the person and the climate.
For 20-year-old Northeastern biochemistry major Leigh Burgess, the shift to vegetarianism became necessary two years ago after watching a documentary on the meat industries environmental impacts. As someone, like many, who craves the taste of meat products, she was surprised at how good plant-based fake meat is.
“With the availability and sustainability of products like Beyond Burger, there is really no need for meat in my diet,” she said. “I think people can be closed minded about these products, but they are pretty amazing.”
Beyond Burger is a meatless patty that is meant to imitate the feel and taste of meat for those with meat cravings who want to switch diets for environmental or health reasons. The first time I was served one at a restaurant, I sent it back thinking it was beef. As someone who doesn’t like the taste or texture of meat, I don’t like eating these burgers. That’s how realistic they are.
In a study done at the University of Michigan it was found that a quarter-pound Beyond Burger requires 99% less water, 93% less land and its production generated 90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than its beef equivalent. Those numbers are astounding.
The reality is that the agriculture industry and consumption of meat is killing the earth through waste of land, water and energy combined with the loads of greenhouse gasses emitted. We can’t afford to turn a blind eye to our own contributions to this industry.
Changing your diet can start or end with small changes in order to make an environmental impact. Kimber and the Boston Vegetarian Society recommend starting with meatless Mondays. Jonathan Safran Foer in his book “We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast” suggests only eating meat at dinnertime. An easy step I suggest is switching to plant-based creamers for coffee and plant-based milk for cereal.
We live in a time of science, creativity and innovation in the world of food. There are so many vegan and vegetarian cook books, products and communities. There is a fake meat substitute for nearly anything your heart desires.
Changing your diet is one of the easiest ways to lower your carbon footprint and help prevent the destruction of our planet by the hands of the agriculture industry. Today is the day to say goodbye to meat and hello to more veggies.
